One dead, two rescued in fiery I-85 crash

Wednesday

Jun 14, 2017 at 8:52 PMJun 14, 2017 at 8:52 PM

Staff Reports

One person was killed and two others rescued after a fiery tractor-trailer crash on Interstate 85 in Cherokee County Tuesday night.

A 2007 Freightliner was traveling north on I-85 near mile marker 106 around 8:16 p.m. when it veered into the median, crossed the cable barrier and ended up in the southbound lanes, where it struck another tractor-trailer, said Cpl. Bill Rhyne of the S.C. Highway Patrol.

Both vehicles were engulfed in flames as a result of the crash, Cherokee County Coroner Dennis Fowler said in a statement.

A passerby was able to pull the driver and passenger from the southbound vehicle, but the driver of the Freightliner died in the wreckage, Fowler said.

The victim has not yet been identified.

The two pulled from the southbound vehicle — a 44-year-old and a 36-year-old from New Jersey — were injured and taken to Carolinas HealthCare Cleveland in Shelby for treatment, Rhyne said.

They were both wearing seat belts at the time of the crash, Rhyne said.

Investigators are still trying to determine what caused the wreck.

According to S.C. Department of Transportation, about 400 feet of guardrail was damaged during the wreck. Asphalt was also damaged, and repair work was expected to continue through Wednesday night with partial lane closures.